Former world number one Novak Djokovic will miss the US Open after he said on Thursday that he will not be able to travel to New York for the tournament, having chosen not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at the US Open this year but only as neutrals, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Tuesday.
The former US Open champion has withdrawn from this year's tournament because of a lingering wrist injury.
The respective world number ones were named as top seeds for next week's US Open.
Novak Djokovic posted black screenshots on his Twitter and Instagram pages with the message "Black Lives Matter", and was joined by Federer and Nadal, the other members of the "Big Three" of men's tennis.
47-year-old Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond were also picked in the U.S. team for their Fed Cup first-round tie against Slovenia.
Grand Slam champions Daniil Medvedev from Russia and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka will not be able to participate in the June 27-July 10 tournament.
The United States Tennis Association said on Tuesday that a non-player has tested positive for the virus within the controlled environment that will host the Western & Southern Open and the US Open in New York.
The organisers of the US Open said on Thursday a decision on whether to hold the Grand Slam this year amid the coronavirus outbreak will be made in June, and playing it without fans is on the table but highly unlikely. The US Open, which is scheduled to run from August 31 to September 13, is both the largest and loudest of the four Grand Slam events on the tennis calendar and United States Tennis Association (USTA) chief executive Mike Dowse does not anticipate that changing.
Tennis already sets the bar with equal prize money paid to women and men at Grand Slam tournaments
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the USTA would take "extraordinary precautions" to protect players, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space and dedicated accommodation.
Besides the athletes, the exemption applies to the sporting leagues' essential staff, spouses and dependents, the statement said.
Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott, who led the player backlash and had described the exclusion as 'disgusting discrimination', thanked organisers for reversing the decision.
Britain's Andy Murray expects some of the top male players to follow women's world number one Ash Barty in skipping next month's US Open in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Australian Barty said on Thursday she is not comfortable travelling to the United States amid the pandemic for the hardcourt Grand Slam, which begins on August 31.
As captain, the former world number one led the United States to a 10-8 record in World Group play, including a run to the semi-finals in 2012 and 2018, the latter which ended in a loss to Croatia 11 days ago.
There is a petition circulating to allow Novak Djokovic to play at the US Open but the Serbian appears likely to miss the entire North American hardcourt swing barring a sudden change in COVID-19 protocols in the United States and Canada.
Serena Williams was the runner-up in Flushing Meadows each of the past two years
France's Benoit Paire has tested positive for COVID-19 and pulled out of the US Open starting on Monday, French sports daily reported on Sunday. Paire, seeded 17th at the Grand Slam event, had been scheduled to play Poland's Kamil Majchrzak in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday.
'I hope that as an association we make the best decision for our business, for our health, for the tournaments, for public.'
Serena Williams' behaviour in Saturday's US Open final divided the tennis world after she called the chair umpire a "liar" and a "thief" and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to Naomi Osaka.
American Sofia Kenin counter-punched her way back from a set down against Garbine Muguruza to win her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in Melbourne on Saturday.
Athletes will not feel 100% safe until a vaccine for the novel coronavirus is available and the US Open should only proceed if all qualified players are able to travel to the Grand Slam, American doubles specialist Rajeev Ram said. Professional tennis was suspended in early March as countries went into lockdown to contain the spread of the virus and the season will not resume until early August.
Japan rallies to support Osaka after French Open withdrawal.
Tennis great and founder of the WTA Billie Jean King was among those who applauded the announcement.
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza suffered a 6-2, 6-4 defeat at the hands of unseeded Czech Barbora Strycova in the second round of the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham on Thursday.
You don't prep for 2028 but for 2040, or even 2044. Sustained sporting excellence is based on mass support, grassroots development, and funding - and it is this trifecta India needs to work on, systematically, asserts Prem Panicker.
The Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon, will host the November 30 - December 2 match.
Serena Williams was unseeded at the French Open last month due to an extended absence for the birth of her first child but she is not likely to face the same problem at the US Open.
The French Tennis Federation, in a surprise move, switched the claycourt Grand Slam tournament to Sept. 20-Oct. 4 from its May start due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The new Roland Garros dates clashed with the Sept. 25-27 Laver Cup. The tournament will now be held from Sept. 24-26 in 2021.
Mladenovic was one of several athletes placed under an 'enhanced protocol plan' for being in contact with compatriot Benoit Paire, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was withdrawn ahead of the Grand Slam.
With the athletes bidding goodbye to Paris after another bone-tingling edition of the Olympics, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com, shares some interesting nuggets that made the Paris Olympics an event to remember!
The United States Tennis Association will hold the US Open this year without fans amid the COVID-19 outbreak even though some top players have expressed concerns about attending the tournament due to the virus, according to multiple reports.
Issues of sexism, officiating double standards and adverse playing conditions have dominated the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Open, raising uncomfortable questions and prompting authorities to promise a review of existing policies.
In a new twist to the crisis in Indian tennis, Somdev Devvarman, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, has said he is fit to partner Leander Paes in the Olympics if asked by the All India Tennis Association (AITA).
World number one Novak Djokovic says he is excited by the prospect of playing at the US Open but says it would only be fair if every player eligible is able to compete. The Unites States Tennis Association (USTA) announced this week that the US Open would go ahead at the end of August without fans and with strict health protocols in place.
World No 9 Mardy Fish has pulled out of the United States' Davis Cup quarter-final against France, who will be without World No 14 Gael Monfils for this week's tie.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said on Sunday it would undertake a review of its communication policies after a string of umpiring controversies at the U.S. Open.
Murray seeks assurance on quarantine issues before US Open.
The All India Tennis Association's efforts to include United States-based Prakash Amritraj in the Davis Cup squad and negate a boycott threat by its top players came to naught on Wednesday, with the Sports Ministry sticking to its policy that only Indian passport holders can represent the country.
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